Anti-war demonstrators in Washington protest against possible U.S. military action in Syria in front of the White House Saturday, Sept. 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak) / Charles Dharapak

by USA TODAY

by USA TODAY

WASHINGTON - Dozens of people opposed to President Barack Obama's call for a U.S. military strike against Syria are picketed outside the White House on Saturday.

Chanting "They say more war; we say no war," speakers said the picket line marks a line Congress should not cross as it prepares to vote on the issue.

Many lawmakers in both parties oppose Obama's request for Congress to authorize using military force against Syria in retaliation for a chemical gas attack last month that the Obama administration blames on President Bashar Assad.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved a measure earlier this week that would authorize a strike. The first votes by the full Senate could come Wednesday.

Obama left the White House during the protest, traveling by car to Andrews Air Force Base to play golf with three aides.

In New York City, a small crowd of protesters gathered in New York City's Times Square to condemn possible U.S. military action in Syria.

The gathering included anti-war activists, anti-Wall Street activists, and also some Syrian expatriates who said they supported the Assad government.

Some people carried signs saying, "No more wars for corporate profit," and "Cut the Pentagon, not food stamps."

Police barricaded off several areas to allow the protesters to gather without disrupting the flow of tens of thousands of tourists through the square.

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